Hyundai Genesis Prada Additional Images and Details Released Prior to Seoul Debut

Hyundai Prada Special Edition Genesis

By Thami Masemola
March 31, 2009 3:23 PM
Filed Under: Asian, Hyundai, Lifestyle

Fresh images of the Hyundai Genesis Prada have been released. Hyundai and luxury fashion label Prada worked on three special models of the Genesis over a period of four months as a way of helping the Korean automaker realise some of its ambitions of being a player in the premium sector. In fact, the Genesis itself was created to take Hyundai higher in the premium segment. The media was impressed and the car won the 2009 North American Car of the Year award.

Some of the aspects that Hyundai and Prada covered together were the illuminated flooring, door trims and white leather on the seats and the dashboard. The exterior was finished in a unique matte finish and painted in a dark-blue colour. To add to the Genesis' premium feel, 20-inch nine-spoke alloy wheels were fitted.

The three cars are to have different fates. One will be revealed at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show while two are to be put up for auction at the Prada Transformer. Money earned from their sale will be donated to charity.

 

Source: Hyundai via hyundai-blog.com

Press Release (Click to expand)

Genesis reborn with innovative input from Prada, one of the world's leading luxury brands

  • Design development took place at Hyundai Motor's R&D center in Korea and in Prada's Design Center in Italy
  • Limited edition of three cars, two of which will be auctioned for charity

Hyundai Motor Company (Chairman & CEO Chung Mong-Koo) presented the new "Genesis Prada" today in Seoul, the first of only three units produced by the Korean automaker in partnership with Italian luxury goods maker Prada, to be officially unveiled at the Seoul Motor Show on April 2. Of these three unique cars, one will remain with Hyundai as a milestone of the Genesis history and development, while two will be auctioned for charity and the income will be donated to an institution which will be announced at a later stage.

The "Genesis Prada" represents a unique edition of the Genesis - selected as the 2009 North American Car of the Year ? and is characterized by a special design that reflects Prada's (CEO Mr. Patrizio Bertelli) sophisticated innovation, attention to detail, uncompromised quality approach and values both in the design and in the materials.

For this project, designers from Hyundai and Prada worked together for over four months since last November, both at Hyundai's R&D center in Namyang and at Prada's Design Center in Italy, where a Genesis models were delivered to allow a 1:1 scale development.

In particular, with regards to the design of the bodywork, Prada developed a sporty interpretation of the Genesis bodywork, complemented by alloy rims designed and produced by Prada in Italy. The paintwork is in matte metallic midnight blue, combined with metal parts in titanium, whereas the dark matte plated gold replaces the existing shining chrome for the radiator grill, the emblem, and the outer handles.

The innovations introduced by Prada include also a 20-inch alloy wheel and an outer antenna with edge shape.

For the interior, the dashboard and the upholstery have also been revisited and artisan-crafted in "saffiano" leather - the top quality leather that, more than any other, is identified with the Prada brand - to obtain a luxurious and sophisticated finish.

Finally, in order to underline to an even greater extent the unique image of the "Genesis Prada," a new special technology was applied to all gold plated details and all wood grain parts.

 

Comments

uzzie
March 31, 2009 3:37 PM
it doesnt look that bad, they need a better designer, i dont think the name is going to help it sell, also, the reason why Mercedes and BMW are so famous is because they can compete well with ferrari's, looking at this car, it looks fast but not a contender

carbonsigma
March 31, 2009 4:07 PM
You've got to be the first person to bring Ferrari up in comparison to Hyundai. I don't get it..

serraxtrem
March 31, 2009 4:25 PM
It is looking more like Lexus mercedes c class and mazda 6 all together ...

sebastianmejia17
March 31, 2009 5:44 PM
Is not that they need a better designer, they need to stop copying others, period!

pchsh02
April 1, 2009 9:01 AM
The "copy" executive of Hyundai was recently headhunted by Mercedes-Benz.. :P Mercedes guys might be insane from your point of view, huh?


Edited by user on April 1, 2009 at 9:03 AM
carbonsigma
March 31, 2009 4:05 PM
MMMM tasty white leather!

radmeister
March 31, 2009 4:15 PM
I'd buy this in a second if i wanted a luxury limo for under 50k, hands down the best car on the market in that category for the price range. With this prada package it's so damn sexy.

politz
March 31, 2009 4:21 PM
That partnership was obviously a great deal for Hyundai, but terrible for Prada. The korean folks must have payed the equivalent for more than a few Prada handbags for that.

Renegade
March 31, 2009 4:24 PM
Just have a 300C....

MTC
March 31, 2009 4:52 PM
the 300C is alot cooler and look much better than this

Renegade
March 31, 2009 4:59 PM
I know, that was my point.

radmeister
March 31, 2009 5:48 PM
Bwahahahaha, the 300C is not even close to this car, from interior quality, to ride comfort, sound levels in the cabin, this car beats the 300c at everything. Test drove one of these bad boys with the 4.6L and its amazing. One of these over an american equivalent any day without a second to think about it, hands down win.

afterace2
April 1, 2009 11:15 AM
you mean that MB W210 based 300C? hahah

trailer
March 31, 2009 5:13 PM
the interior especially the dash sucks so does the the simple grill

DTT
March 31, 2009 5:27 PM
sounds funny because all the editors who reviewed this car all liked interior design and the grill.

Cheffoe
March 31, 2009 5:18 PM
Phaha, 300C?! I won't spend a cent on one these. I like the Hyundai a lot more. I mean a lot!

DTT
March 31, 2009 5:20 PM
you guys want 300C over Genesis????? are you guys out of your minds???????????

Joe_Limon
March 31, 2009 6:12 PM
Does Prada leather feel better? It doesn't look better. Imagine how aweful that interior is going to look in a month of use! dirty...

radmeister
March 31, 2009 7:40 PM
Highly doubt it's prada leather, it's just the colour combination that was picked by prada. I think it looks great in white, like the Lexus IS-F. And yeah you wouldn't want to get white leather if you plan on wearing jeans all the time. But no worries, leather can be easily cleaned.

politz
April 1, 2009 3:12 AM
There is no Prada leather, actually... their signature material is nylon... well, a black 'Prada Crispy Nylon' interior would look awesome, really.

Joe_Limon
April 1, 2009 6:27 PM
No straight guy should know that.

Schizo0223
March 31, 2009 8:40 PM
I had white leather in my old...I'm gonna take a beating for this...VW Cabrio I had in college. White leather is not that hard to maintain! It's really no different than a beige interior or a light grey color that is more widely chosen. As for this car...I think it is a pointless exercise for otherwise a very fine automobile and a luxury brand that I don't care too much for.

P.S. I don't think Prada is too much of a stretch for Hyundai. It's not like Prada is the most exclusive luxury brand; i.e. Hermes, Vuitton, Channel etc.

politz
April 1, 2009 3:16 AM
Come on... it is actually a matter of marketing targets... Hyundai aims 45+ y.o. married male individuals with the Genesis... while Prada appeals mainly to 25-45 y.o. married or single female individuals or gay male individuals. Maybe Zegna, Ralph Lauren or even Armani would fit better the Genesis than Prada.

wjaprep
March 31, 2009 11:54 PM
meh, its looks better.

wake me up when this car dsnt look like/copy several others. and if i had to choose btwn a 300c or this, i wuld walk.

M
April 1, 2009 9:10 AM
the dash was influenced by nissan primera

Artephius
April 1, 2009 6:34 PM
I'm surprised no one seems shocked that the Genesis is just a copy of the Mercedes S600 (for a good image, check http://www.mercedesbenzs600.info/images/s600_guard_02.jpg )

Same front grill, same headlights, same shape. And the inside just lacks refinement. Adding a BMW-style knob to your central console doesn't make you luxury. Hyundai should stop their copying bullshit if they really want to compete in the luxury brand. I lost a lot of respect for Prada with this association.

pchsh02
April 2, 2009 3:19 AM
I just wonder that you have eyes. And Prada doesn't give any s.hit about you at all :P

afterace2
April 2, 2009 4:48 PM
please note that this is basically their first serious atempt to compete with the luxury brands, not so long ago they were actually considered as a joke, and they had to put a lot of effort in order to chase the Germans/Japanesee. Also take the price tag into account when comparing this to BMW, MB, Audi or Lexus.

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